


A Lifelong Burning

by FaileGaidin



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: F/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-12-29
Updated: 2013-02-13
Packaged: 2017-10-28 09:37:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/306490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaileGaidin/pseuds/FaileGaidin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not everyone is what they seem, and not even McKay knows everything about everything. The Pegasus Galaxy is full of things they don't understand, but that doesn't mean those things won't touch and change their lives. Original Character.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

John groaned as he rolled over, his legs tangling in the sheets. He didn’t want to get up, despite the promise he’d made to himself the night before, and for a couple of minutes, he thought about just going back to sleep. The damage had already been done, though, and he threw the covers back with a sigh.

It only took him a few minutes to slip on his clothes and running shoes. He left the light off in the bathroom, not looking too closely at the man who walked beside him in the mirror. Sliding a careless hand through his hair, he walked out of his room and into the empty hallway outside.

Except that it wasn’t empty. A young woman was walking past just as he stepped out, pausing and turning her head to regard him. She was pretty, with an amused twist tugging at the corner of her mouth. Her long blonde hair was swept up into a ponytail, and he couldn’t help but notice how toned her legs were. He vaguely remembered seeing her around Atlantis, but he couldn’t quite place her, or put a name to the face.

“Going for a run?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Nah. I just like waltzing through the corridors in my workout clothes. Very freeing.”

Her tone caught him off-guard, but he couldn’t help but nod in appreciation. “I have to say, the sarcasm is a breath of fresh air this early in the morning.”

“I’m a fan of starting the day off right.”

“Any chance you’d like some company?”

She looked him up and down. “Think you can keep up?”

“I can certainly hold my own.”

She thought for a moment and then nodded, stretching out a slender hand. “Danni.”

“John.”

Danni smirked. “I know. You ready?”

He made a sweeping gesture with his left hand. “Lead on.”

“So,” he said after a minute of silent walking. “You know who I am?”

“The infamous Colonel Sheppard,” she replied. “I hope you’re not expecting me to cut you any slack because of that.”

“Infamous?” he asked, pouting slightly. “Not exactly the word I would have chosen.”

Danni shrugged. “If the shoe fits.”

John narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re not one to build up a guy’s ego, are you?”

“Like you need it.”

The smile on her face softened her words, and he found himself oddly comfortable with her. It was different from the banter he had with Elizabeth or McKay, but it felt somehow familiar. He opened his mouth to ask her where exactly she worked in Atlantis, but they had reached their destination, and she turned to look at him with a smirk.

“Ready?”

A dozen comebacks came to mind, but he just settled for a cheeky grin as they began to run.

******************************

He was late. That really wasn’t anything new, but he wasn’t usually sweating and breathing heavily as he rushed into the conference room and slid into his seat. His run with Danni had been a hell of a lot harder than he’d been expecting, and he hadn’t had enough time to shower. There were plenty of women on the expedition who liked to run, but John was fairly certain there weren’t any who could keep up with him for such a long time at such a hard pace.

The worst part was that he had his suspicions about Danni holding back a little.

Rodney rolled his eyes as John sat down. “So nice of you to grace us with your presence.” He wrinkled his nose. “You could have showered first, though.”

“Good morning to you, too, Rodney.”

He turned to Elizabeth, who seemed ready to start the meeting – though he caught the eyebrow she quirked at his appearance – but Rodney wasn’t about to let it go.

“Seriously,” he whined. “I realize that the fraternization rules have been lifted, but do you really need to flaunt –“

John turned to give him a hard look. “I was running, McKay.”

“Oh, is that the term for it?”

He turned back, his mouth open, fully prepared to hit back, when a throat cleared behind him.

“Gentlemen,” Elizabeth said firmly. “Focus.”

Getting back at McKay was going to have to wait. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face Elizabeth, a tight smile on his face.

“Good morning, Elizabeth.”

Her expression told him quite clearly that she didn’t buy his tone. “Good morning. Are you ready to focus now?”

His smile widened, and he winked. “I’m all ears.”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Good. Because you’re going off-world.”

John perked up at that, just like he always did when he found out he was going off on an adventure. “Where to?”

“M4Z-837,” Rodney said, all business now.

“Do they have a ZPM?” Teyla asked.

“No. As much as I stress the importance of ZPMs, there are apparently other reasons to visit places as well. Or so Elizabeth tells me.”

She sighed, but didn’t rise to the bait. “We’re simply looking for more allies against the Wraith,” she explained. “It looks as though there’s a civilized society on the planet, so I’d like your team to check it out.” Her mouth twisted up into a faint smirk. “Hopefully without causing any interplanetary conflicts.”

John’s face took on a hurt expression. “I hope you’re not suggesting that I get into trouble on a regular basis, Elizabeth.”

“I’m sure she was only expressing her concern for your well-being, Colonel,” Teyla said diplomatically. Everyone could see the glint in her eye, though.

“Exactly,” Elizabeth replied. “Thank you, Teyla.”

“Not a problem. I have already requested that Ronon refrain from starting any fights.”

John glanced over at his friend. “You starting to get the feeling that we’re dogs on a short leash?”

Ronon shrugged, folding his arms across his chest. “I’ve gotten pretty good at breaking those.”

Shaking her head, Elizabeth stood up. “Go. Stay out of trouble. And let us know what you find. We need allies, gentlemen.”

Everyone filed out of the room, John dallying until he was the last one. Turning to Elizabeth, he met her eyes with a serious expression, letting her know that he understood the importance of the mission. When he saw the grateful and trusting look she returned, he smiled at her.

“I really was just running.”

She rolled her eyes. “Get moving, Colonel.”

He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”


	2. Chapter 2

“It wasn’t my fault,” John said as soon as they stepped through the gate.

Elizabeth sighed as she clasped her hands in front of her, just barely refraining from rolling her eyes. It was obvious that things had not gone according to plan. John and Ronon both had bruises on their faces, while Teyla had a cut above her right eye, and Rodney looked as though he’d been hiding in a bush for the past twenty-four hours.

“What happened?” she asked calmly, torn between relief that they were safe and frustration that they probably hadn’t gained an ally.

“Everything was going fine,” John replied. He turned and hit his friend with a scathing look. “Until Rodney here decided to offend them.”

“Oh, you cannot possibly be blaming this on me!”

Ronon shrugged. “I am.”

Teyla nodded. “I have to agree, Rodney. For once, Colonel Sheppard did not have a hand in upsetting the natives.”

John frowned. “For once?”

“What happened?” Elizabeth asked, ignoring him.

The team just continued to stare at Rodney. Eventually, he broke under the pressure, throwing his arms up into the air.

“How was I supposed to know that mentioning food was offensive?! They just kept going on and on with their tedious and pointless ceremonies, ignoring the fact that I was positively starving…”

This time, Elizabeth did roll her eyes as she held up a hand to stop him. “Alright. I want you all to get yourselves to the infirmary so Carson can check you out.” She shot a hard glare at Ronon and John, cutting off their objections. “Get checked out,” she said firmly. “Colonel Sheppard, I expect to see you in my office afterward.”

He only hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Okay.” He clapped Ronon on the shoulder and began steering his team toward the infirmary. “C’mon, big guy. I’m sure Carson’ll let us out quickly. You know how much he hates when he has to keep us there for more than a few minutes.”

Ronon grinned. “That’s true.”

Teyla had just enough time to share an exasperated look with Elizabeth before they disappeared down the hall.

***********************************************

Although she was fairly certain that Carson wouldn’t keep them long, Elizabeth also knew that John wouldn’t come immediately to her office. He would head for his quarters first, allowing himself the luxury of a shower. She wasn’t entirely sure if that was for his own benefit or hers, but she was grateful for it. It was much easier to listen to his mission reports when he didn’t smell like he’d been crawling around in the mud for three days.

There was a small knock, and she looked up to see Carson standing in her doorway, a warm smile on his face. No matter how bad things got, or how frustrating her job was, Carson was always a bright spot in her day. Sometimes it startled her to realize how much she had come to rely on the doctor, but she was happy to call him a friend.

“Come on in, Carson,” she said, leaning forward on her desk. “How are they?”

“They’re fine,” he assured her, taking a seat. “It looks like there was a bit of fighting, but nothing too serious. Mostly just bumps and bruises.” He paused. “Mostly.”

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Like I said, it’s nothing serious. But I doubt Colonel Sheppard will tell you about it. He has a long laceration on his left side. It looks much worse than it is – it’s just big and ugly. But it’s also going to make him a wee bit sore for a couple of days.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes briefly. “So he should stay on Atlantis.”

“It’s only a few days. I just don’t want him running off somewhere and pulling the stitches.”

“The fighting must have been worse than he let on if someone got close enough to do that kind of damage with a knife.”

“If I had to bet on it, I would say it was a sword, not a knife.”

“Swords,” she breathed. “Lovely.”

Carson reached forward and patted her arm. “He’ll be fine. Hopefully the galaxy won’t need saving in the next week.”

Elizabeth smirked at him. “You, Carson, are what Sheppard would call an optimist.”

“Aye. And I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Am I interrupting?”

They both looked up to see John standing there, sporting wet hair and fresh clothes.

“Not at all,” Carson said, rising from his seat. “I’ll talk to you later, Elizabeth.” He turned to John on his way out. “And I expect to see you in three days, Colonel.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He waved him off and then came the rest of the way into the office, plopping himself down on the edge of her desk. “Doc totally ratted me out, huh?”

“Didn’t even hesitate,” she replied. “He knew you wouldn’t mention it.”

He shrugged. “It’s nothing.”

“You know you’re grounded until it heals.”

“Ruin all my fun,” he muttered.

Folding her hands on her desk, Elizabeth leaned forward. “So. Please explain to me how Rodney offended an entire planet.”

John grinned as he slid off the desk, not quite hiding the flash of pain in his eyes as he held his hand out to her.

“Trust me. This story requires food.”

********************************************************

“Did you really ruin negotiations because they held up your dinner?”

McKay sighed, his shoulders slumping even as he refused to turn around. “Do you just go trolling for gossip?”

“Trolling? They might as well have announced it over the P.A. system.”

“Alright. Fine. Just get it out of your system now, please. And then go and do…whatever it is you do.”

Danni walked over to the lab table he was using and leaned back against it, crossing her arms. “I’d much rather bug you.”

Rodney sighed. “That does seem to be a favorite habit of yours.”

“Dude, you offended a king. He ordered his soldiers to take off your head and serve it to his goats. That’s freaking awesome.”

Glancing over at her, he gave her a disgusted look. “I absolutely hate you.”

Danni grinned. “I know.” Tossing something in the air, she winked at him. “You’ll get over it, though.”

His hands reached out automatically, and he fumbled for a few seconds before getting a handle on the object. For a minute, he stared down in disbelief at the chocolate bar, not understanding.

And when he looked up again, she was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Five miles through the city, and John was ready for their break as they came to a stop. They were on a catwalk that connected two sections of the city, and the view was breathtaking. He stared out over the water, squinting at the way the sun glinted off of the surface, casting everything in a bright glow. 

“It never gets old, does it?” Danni asked.

John shook his head. “No, it doesn’t.” The cut along his torso was almost healed, but it took the opportunity to twinge, and he winced slightly. “We should probably start heading back.”

“You’re an idiot, you know. For running that hard with that kind of injury.”

He gave her a hard glare. “I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the one setting the pace.”

Danni shrugged. “I just wanted to see how stupid you were.”

“Good to know you’re looking out for me.”

“Anytime,” she grinned. “That all could have been avoided, you know.”

“The running?”

“Offending the Mordanians.”

John snorted, once again staring out across the water. “Yeah, if McKay had kept his damn mouth shut.”

“Or if you had someone who knew about neighboring cultures. You do realize the Ancient database has a pretty comprehensive knowledge store, right?”

“It’s also huge. And in another language.”

“There are a couple of people around here who can translate.”

“Elizabeth is already stretched out too thin. Give her a job like this, and she’ll stop sleeping altogether.”

Danni rolled her eyes. “There are other people who can translate.” She paused. “Myself, for instance.”

That made him turn around. “What? How?”

She shrugged. “I’ve worked on the Stargate program for a while now, and I’m really good with languages.”

John narrowed his eyes at her. “You know, it occurs to me that I don’t actually know what your job here is.”

“Think of me as a font of useful information,” she replied. “I know where everything is in the city. I know when we’re close to running out of things, and I make sure the Daedelus brings back the supplies we need. I also happen to know my Ancient history.”

“And you’re just sharing this information now?”

“You didn’t ask,” she said simply. “You should get going, by the way. Or you’re gonna be late for your meeting with your team.”

“I’m always late.”

“I’ve noticed.” Jogging in place, Danni flashed him a bright smile. “The next time you’re heading off-world, it might be prudent to check with me. I might know something that could save your lives.”

She turned and ran off, leaving him to stare after her. Though he was skeptical that she could translate Ancient as easily as Elizabeth, he was definitely going to pass the information along. There were too many unknowns in their environment to overlook what a person could contribute to the mission. 

Taking one last look at the water, John turned and headed back towards his quarters, at a much slower pace than before.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Elizabeth heard the door open behind her, and a small smile played across her lips as she recognized John’s steps. She could always tell when it was him, and his presence was enough to calm her, to push away the little stresses of the day – even if it was just for a little while. 

“You’ve been holed up in your office all day,” he accused quietly, coming up to stand beside her.

“Paperwork,” she explained. “You have no idea how many reports there are to read.”

“I do, actually.”

She turned her head slightly to look at him, taking in the cocky smirk on his lips and the way he rolled on the balls of his feet as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Oh, really?”

John nodded. “Chuck keeps me well-informed.”

“And why would he do that?”

“Because he knows you’re a workaholic who doesn’t take care of yourself.” He shrugged a little. “Plus, I may have had Ronon threaten him once.”

“You didn’t.”

His smirk turned into a grin. “I did.”

Elizabeth let out a sigh that carried a quiet chuckle in it. “John…”

“It’s for your own good, you know.”

“Is that why you’re here right now? For my own good?”

He nodded. “C’mon. It’s dinner time. Or, you know…way past dinner time. But you’re eating, even if I have to drag you down to the mess.”

As much as she enjoyed arguing with him – unless it was about something important – she couldn’t ignore the fact that she was indeed hungry. She held her hands up in surrender.   
“I’ll come quietly. I promise.”

He gave her a suspicious look, obviously prepared for more of a fight. “I didn’t say you had to come quietly,” he said. “In fact, dragging you might be more –“

“Move on, Colonel,” she said firmly. 

He stuck his tongue out at her, the action catching her off-guard and making her laugh.

“Spoilsport,” he muttered.

They walked in easy silence to the mess. That was one of Elizabeth’s favorite parts of their relationship – she spent her days talking about a million different things, and she didn’t need to do that with John. They could just walk or stand on the balcony, taking everything in. It was never awkward, and almost never strained, unless they’d been at odds. It always felt like the most natural thing in the world. 

Two trays were already set out for them on one of the long tables, and she idly wondered if he’d had someone put them there or if he had done the job himself before coming to get her. Either way, her stomach spoke up even louder at the sight of food, and she sat down eagerly, smiling at John before digging in.

“There was something I wanted to talk to you about,” he eventually ventured.

“I should have known you wanted something.”

“Hey!” he protested. “It’s not like that.”

One of her eyebrows rose slowly. “Oh, really?”

“Really,” he promised. “I’m just…passing along information.”

That definitely caught her attention. “Okay. I’m listening.”

“I’ve been going for runs with one of the women in the city. Danni Cordogan. You know her?”

Elizabeth nodded. “She handles the supplies of the city. General O’Neill placed her on the expedition. Why?”

“She mentioned today that the whole Rodney issue on our last mission could have been avoided.”

She set down her fork, her attention fully on the conversation at hand. “How so?”

“She says the Ancient database covers most of the planets around us – and that she can translate it.”

That made her pause. “She can read Ancient?”

John shrugged. “So she says.”

“Well, that would be very useful. Though it makes me wonder why we didn’t know this before.”

“Might be helpful, though, having someone around who can navigate us through some of the…” he fished for a word, “cultural snafus.”

Her mouth quirked upward at his verbiage, and she picked up her fork once again. “I agree. When your team is ready to head off-world again, we’ll pull her in, see if she knows anything that could help us.”

John grinned at her, reaching over and snagging some food off her plate. “See? I didn’t ask for a single thing.”

Elizabeth smacked his hand with her own fork and then stole some of his food in retaliation. When he stared at her in open-mouthed disbelief, she arched an eyebrow at him again.

“Yet,” she said pointedly.


	4. Chapter 4

“Are the two of you, by any chance, heading over to see Rodney?”

John and Elizabeth turned, surprised to see that Zelenka had suddenly appeared next to them as they made their way down the hall. 

“You’re like some kind of Czech ninja,” John muttered.

Elizabeth’s mouth quirked up briefly as she answered more diplomatically, “We are, actually. Is there something wrong?”

Radek shook his head. “I just wanted to warn you that Rodney is not in the best of moods today.”

“Somebody question his intelligence again?” John asked.

The scientist chuckled. “No. But Danni Cordogan is making her rounds, checking supplies…and that means that she’s in ‘Rodney’s’ lab.”

Elizabeth frowned. “Does Rodney have a problem with Danni?”

“She annoys him to no end. It’s quite funny, actually. Aside from liking her personally, I also get a certain enjoyment out of watching her push his buttons.”

They had reached the lab by then, and it was obvious to all that Rodney was not pleased. Rubbing his forehead in frustration, he let out a long sigh of relief when he saw Elizabeth and John step into the room. 

“Oh, thank God,” he said loudly, making the other scientists turn to look at him. “Elizabeth, you have to make them stop.”

“Make who stop?”

He gestured across the room to two women who were standing with their backs to them. John smirked when he recognized them – it really wasn’t a surprise that those two got along well together. 

“Danni and Cadman,” Rodney explained. “They’ve been doing nothing but distracting me for the past hour! I have important work to do –“

Elizabeth held up a hand. “Distracting you how, Rodney?”

“They’ve been,” he took a deep breath, obviously trying to calm himself, “singing.”

For a moment, they just stared at him in disbelief. When she had regrouped herself, though, Elizabeth tried to be as diplomatic as possible. “Are they bad singers?”

“On the contrary,” Radek answered, not giving Rodney a chance to reply. “They’re both quite good. It’s been a pleasant change this morning to have them around.”

“Yes, yes, I’m sure it’s wonderful for everyone else. But I am actually trying to get some work done, and they just keep going, and going, and going –“

“I get the point, Rodney.” She turned to the women. “Ladies?”

Cadman turned around, tapping Danni’s shoulder as she did so, and they both pulled their headphones out. 

“Morning, Dr. Weir,” Danni greeted with a smile. 

Elizabeth returned the smile. “Good morning. How goes the supply check?”

She shrugged. “Almost the same as last month. I’m almost done here.  
”  
“Good. Perhaps you could finish up with a little less…” she searched for an appropriate phrase, “musical expression?”

Cadman immediately shot Rodney a dirty look. “You seriously ratted us out to the teacher?” 

Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth could see John’s eyes light up at that. She wondered if there was any chance she could convince him not to make schoolteacher jokes for the rest of the week. Knowing him, the odds didn’t look good. 

“It’s not my fault you’re being a nuisance,” he defended. “Maybe now you can take your…shenanigans elsewhere.”

Cadman snorted. “I just think you’re jealous we don’t sing to you.”

“Right. Because it’s one of my goals in life to –“

“Rodney,” Elizabeth said firmly, cutting him off. “What was it you wanted?”

He frowned. “What?”

“You called us down here,” she reminded him. “Was there a reason?”

“Of course there was.” He gestured to the women. “And you handled it splendidly. Thank you.”

Her eyes went flat, while John crossed his arms over his chest. “You called us down here to make them stop singing?” he asked in disbelief.

Rodney stood a little straighter. “It was very annoying.”

He rolled his eyes and turned to leave. “I’ve got a training session.”

Elizabeth wasn’t far behind him. “And I will be in my office. No more interruptions, Rodney, unless you want me to ask Danni and Cadman to give you an entire concert tomorrow.”

The women grinned at that, but Rodney’s eyes widened in apprehension. “You wouldn’t. That’s-that’s…it’s not fair!”

“No more interruptions,” she said firmly.

As she left the room, he glared at Danni and Cadman. “I hate the two of you so very much.”

Danni smirked. “We know,” she assured him.

****************************************************

Danni was thoughtful as she walked into the conference room, not entirely sure of what to expect. She hadn’t been terribly surprised when Elizabeth asked if she knew anything about the planet she was sending Sheppard’s team to – that was why she had suggested it to him in the first place – but the invitation to their pre-mission briefing had caught her off-guard. 

“I’m starting to think you’re stalking me,” John teased, taking a seat across from her. 

“You knew I was going to be here.”

“Of course I did. Elizabeth tells me everything.”

Her eyebrows went up at that. “Everything?”

His eyes narrowed. “Why? Is there something you know that I don’t?”

Danni smirked. “I know a great many things that you don’t, Sheppard. I may even know more than –“

“What is she doing here?” Rodney groaned.

“Good morning, everyone,” Elizabeth greeted as she walked in. Teyla and Ronon had joined somewhere along the way as well, and they all took their seats. “We –“

“What is she doing here?” Rodney repeated, this time pointing at Danni from his seat next to John. 

“Thank you, Rodney, I was just going to get to that,” Elizabeth replied, her tone slightly mocking. “Danni is here because she just happens to be our resident expert on local cultures.”

“Since when?” he scoffed.

“Since she reads the Ancient database in her spare time. I’ve already questioned her about the planet you’re going to today, so that we can avoid the problems of your last mission.”

“Oh.”

“That’s why I think it’s quite prudent to have someone with that knowledge with you –“

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. With us?” he asked, his voice cracking. 

“Yes, McKay,” John said. “She’s coming with us.”

“But…why? Can’t she just brief us here?”

“She could. But what if we – and by we, I mostly mean you – got ourselves into a tight spot with the local bigwigs? Danni could help us avoid getting shot at.”

“If it makes you feel better,” Danni offered, “I didn’t realize I was going on the mission.”

“I apologize for that,” Elizabeth replied. “I was going to ask you before Rodney interrupted.” She folded her hands in front of her on the table, studying the young woman. “Are you comfortable going off-world with Sheppard’s team?”

Danni nodded. “I’m game.” She shrugged. “The people of this planet are known for being peaceful and calm, but they do have cultural mores that they hold dear. I think I can keep us from offending anybody.” Her eyes danced as she smirked at Rodney.

“Good.” She turned to John. “Your team can leave within the hour?”

He nodded. “We’re ready.”

Elizabeth smiled. “Good luck, then.”


	5. Chapter 5

Rodney sniffed as they made their way through the forest. “Primitive.”

Danni rolled her eyes. “They’re a simple people, Rodney.”

“Exactly. So why are we here again?”

“Because we happen to be a little short on friends right now,” John replied, leading them forward. “And Elizabeth wants us to have more friends.”

“Tall order when you guys don’t exactly play well with others,” Danni murmured, her eyes dancing.

“Teyla does pretty good at the whole diplomatic thing.”

“Yeah, but not even her powers of grace can offset a flyboy, a cranky scientist, and the Incredible Hulk.”

John stopped and turned, eyeing Ronon critically. “He reminds me more of Chewbacca than the Hulk.”

She thought about it for a second, tilting her head to the side. “Mmm. I see your point.”

“Do you have any idea what they’re talking about?” Ronon asked, looking over at Teyla.

She shook her head. “I’m afraid not.”

“I’ll explain later,” John promised, starting to walk again. 

They didn’t meet any resistance – or people in general – as they continued their journey. Rodney muttered under his breath, but no one really paid him any mind, and the rest of the group kept their attention on their surroundings.

Eventually, the trees around them began to thin out, and they found themselves entering a small village. The buildings were simple and sturdy, with dirt roads intersecting at regular intervals. The sun had begun its descent below the horizon, washing out the colors of the day and replacing them with a violet hue that bled into the ever-growing shadows. 

They still hadn’t seen a single person.

“So where are all these friends we’re supposed to be making?” Ronon asked, eyes sweeping the empty streets. 

Teyla’s eyes were also searching. “I thought the people of this planet were supposed to be friendly.”

Danni shrugged. “Maybe things have changed.” As things often do, she thought.

“I’ve got life signs up ahead,” Rodney said.

She nodded. “Tavern. If there are people here, that’s usually a good place to start looking.”

John led the way once again, with Teyla and Rodney right behind him. Danni brought up the rear with Ronon, her eyes still roving over the empty streets. This wasn’t what she had expected at all. As Sheppard pushed open the heavy oak door, she thought she might have caught a glimpse of a small face around a distant corner, but then they were moving inside, and she couldn’t get a second look. 

The sound of weapons being raised and cocked caught her attention instead.

The tavern was decently sized, but it seemed cramped with the number of people inside. The windows were all shuttered, blocking out the little bit of light that could still be seen outside, and candles covered everything in a yellow glow, deepening the shadows even as it tried to push them back. A dozen men faced them, all on their feet, all with weapons in hand. Two men had come up behind them as well, blocking off any easy escape.

Every one of them stunk with fear. 

“Hey, now,” John said softly, trying to keep any aggression out of his voice. “We just came for a friendly visit.”

One of the men sneered in disgust. “Tell Tragan that his tricks won’t work! We will not hand the village over to him!”

“I would. Except that I don’t know who Tragan is.”

“Liar!”

“Guess that means you’re not gonna lower that gun, then.”

“We will protect our people,” another man said, his voice calm as he gestured with his head to the women and children huddled behind them. “We have that right.”

“You do,” Teyla agreed. “But you have to understand that we have that right as well. We wish your people no harm. We come only as travelers.”

The first man shook his head, and they could see that there was a slight shake to his hands. “We can’t let them go – Rosen, you know this is something Tragan would try to trap us with!”

John definitely didn’t like where this was going. “Look, I’m sure we can clear this little misunderstanding up –“

He shook his head, tightening his hold on his gun. “We can’t let our people be hurt again.”

Ronon and John shared a worried look as they both did the math. They were vastly outnumbered, and now they were being left with no choice. If they wanted to get out, they were going to have to cut through these people.

_The skies were pure and the fields were green,  
And the sun was brighter than it’s ever been._

The room froze as the voice cut through the air. Danni stepped out from behind Rodney, her eyes fixated on the man who had just spoken as she moved forward slowly.

_When I grew up with my best friend Kenny,  
We were close as any brothers that you ever knew._

John wanted to ask her what the hell she was doing, but he couldn’t make himself do anything but watch. The man in front of them flinched as though the words had physically struck him, and his hands began to shake again with fervor.

_It was always summer and the future called,_  
We were ready for adventure and we wanted them all.  
And there was so much left to dream,  
And so much time to make it real. 

Rodney was the first to get over his shock, but even as he opened his mouth to ask what was going on, Teyla reached out and put her hand on his arm, silencing him. Everyone’s gaze was locked on Danni and the man as she stared him down, never letting her attention waver. He lowered his gun, though he didn’t seem to realize that he was doing so, and tears stood in his eyes.

_But I can still recall the sting of all_  
The tears when he was gone.  
They said he crashed and burned  
I know I’ll never learn  
Why any boy should die so young. 

All of the villagers were staring at her in disbelief and awe, and one by one, every man lowered his gun.

We were racing, we were soldiers of fortune.  
We got in trouble but we sure got around.  
There are times I think I see him peeling out of the dark -  
I think he’s right behind me now and he’s gaining ground.

His knees gave out, and he sank down into the chair behind him. John lowered his own weapon as the tension in the room gave way to a grief he could feel in the pit of his stomach. These people had lost something, and Danni had managed to hit on it with her song. She stood over the man now, her expression gentle as her voice quieted.

_But it was long ago and it was far away._  
Oh, God, it seems so very far.  
And if life is just a highway  
Then the soul is just a car. 

The last notes disappeared into the silence, the candles even seeming to quiet their stuttering. The other man who had spoken – Rosen – took a hesitant step forward, looking at the visitors with new eyes.

“You have a Song Maiden,” he said, his voice thick and his eyes shining.

John had no idea what he was talking about, but surprisingly, Ronon was the one who answered.

“We do. Like we said before, we’re only travelers here. We don’t know your Tragan.”

Rosen nodded. “I can see the truth in your words now.” He took a deep breath, turning to the woman who worked behind the bar. “Our guests will need dinner, Deera. And rooms so that they can freshen up.”

The air in the tavern changed as people began to breathe again, words flying across in hushed tones as whispers. Danni moved back towards her team, not shying away from the incredulous looks John and Rodney gave her.

“A Song Maiden?” John asked, his eyebrows going up.

She shrugged. “Yep. I suggest we take the rooms and clean up before dinner. Seems like the polite thing to do.”

With that, she turned and followed the young chambermaid that had appeared to their right, effectively ending the conversation. Deciding that it would be better to talk in private anyway, John signaled for the rest of them to do the same.


End file.
